Test ladle spoon for steelmaking



July 4, 1967 w. K. POOL 3,329,308

TEST LADLE SPOON FOR STEELMAKING Filed July 9, 1965 INVENTOR. 5a

WIJMia/m K. P006 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,329,308 TEST LADLE SPOON FOR STEELMAKING William K. Pool, 813 Furbee Ave. SW., North Canton, Ohio 44720 Filed July 9, 1965, Ser. No. 470,675 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-94) ABSTRACT OF DISCLOSURE A steelmaking test ladle having a cup with an integral, half-round, downwardly opening trough-like stem projecting laterally therefrom at the upper edge thereof, the stem having downwardly facing edges extending from the outer surface of the cup to the free end thereof, and a handle rod having an end portion received in the troughlike stem and welded therein, the lower side of the handle rod being located in a straight continuous plane below the downwardly facing edges of the stern.

The invention relates to an improved ladle construction for dipping or spooning molten metal samples from a bath of molten metal in steelmaking furnaces for the analysis of the sample prior to pouring the steel.

More particularly the invention relates to a particular ladle construction having a special shape which avoids damage to the ladle when being removed from a furnace, which avoids the tendency of molten metal to freeze and build up on ladle surfaces, and which includes a long handle joined to the ladle cup by a joint that is strong enough to resist the abuse and heat to which the ladle is subjected in use.

Prior ladle constructions used for spooning molten metal samples from a steelmaking furnace usually have been made in two parts including a cup-like casting and a handle rod joined to the casting by welding. The handle joint has been formed by providing an upwardly opening trough-like stem formed integrally as a part of the cup casting and by laying an end of a handle rod downward into the trough for welding the assembled members together.

This prior construction has encountered a number of difiiculties. The shoulder present between the end of the stem and the handle rod at the underside of the handle tends to catch and bump on the corner of the furnace wicket hole when the ladle is withdrawn from the furnace through the wicket hole. Repetition of this bumping causes damage and finally breaks the cup from the handle.

A further difliculty encountered is the tendency of the molten metal to build up a deposit of steel at the welded joint between the end of the handle and the cup memher at the end or top of the cup cavity and the end of the upwardly opening trough-like projection to which the handle member is welded. This deposit in freezing, heats and weakens the welded joint, and contains steel of the analysis of one heat which, being on the cup, may

contaminate the steel sample from another heat when using the ladle to take a subsequent test sample of a different analysis steel.

These difliculties along with others have made it impossible as a practical matter to obtain or provide sufficient strength in the welded joint in prior devices to stand up for reasonable time periods under the abuse and heating encountered in use of ladles to withdraw molten metal samples. The result has been that the welded joint fails and the cast cup member drops off after much shorter periods of use than desired.

Accordingly, general objects of the present invention are to provide a new test ladle spoon construction for steelmaking which eliminates a shoulder on the underside of the handle tending to cause damage to the ladle 3,329,308 Patented July 4, 1967 "ice when withdrawn from a furnace; which eliminates any tendency of steel from the sample taken to build up on welded joints between a cup member and handle member which can weaken the welded joint or contaminate samples taken; which provides a strong resultant Welded joint between the handle and cup member that is shielded against damage from molten metal when a test sample is taken; and which has a much longer life than prior test ladle constructions.

These and other objects and advantages, apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and claims, may be obtained, the stated results achieved, and the described difficulties overcome, by the apparatus, combinations, parts, elements, arrangements and constructions which comprises the present invention, the nature of which is set forth in the following general statement, a preferred embodiment of whichillustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principlesis set forth in the following description and shown in the drawing, and which are particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims forming part hereof.

The nature of the improved test ladle construction of the present invention may be stated in general terms as including a cup-like preferably substantially semispherically-shaped cast member, a half-round downwardly opening trough-like stem projecting integrally laterally of the cast cup member at the upper edge of the cup, a handle rod having an end portion assembled in the half-round stem with the handle end abutting an exterior surface of the cup side wall below the stern, a continuous weld formed between adjacent surfaces of the stem and handle bar, and the cast cup and handle bar preferably being formed of low carbon steel having a carbon content in the range of from 0.100 to 0.200% carbon.

By way of example, an embodiment of the improved construction is shown in the accompanying drawing forming part hereof in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the cup casting;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation thereof with a handle portion joined thereto;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the parts shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the cup shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 welded to the end of a handle bar or rod; and

FIG. 5 is a section looking in the direction of the arrows 55, FIG. 4.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the various figures of the drawing.

The improved test ladle construction is indicated generally at 1 in the drawing and includes a cup member 2 and a handle member 3. The ladle typically is used for spooning test samples of molten metal from molten baths of heats of steel in electric or open hearth furnaces. The ladle cup is introduced into the molten metal in a furnace chamber through the furnace wicket hole and then is withdrawn. The contents of the cup constitutes a sample of the molten metal in the bath. This sample is poured into a mold to form a small test ingot. The test ingot then is sent to the metallurgical laboratory to determine its analysis. The necessary additions to be made to the furnace to make a desired analysis alloy or stainless steel specified for the heat thus may be determined from the test sample analysis.

It is not always known when the test ladle may fall. For this reason the cup and handle components are formed of low carbon steel so as to reduce contamination of the steel heat being made as much as possible in event the ladle cup burns off and drops into the molten bath in the furnace when a sample is being taken.

j-In accordance with ;the invention, the cup member 2 .is formed as a steel casting with a preferably generally semispheric cup-like wall 4, having an upper edge 46!. A stern member projects integrally from the cup wall laterally of the cup and adjacent the upper cup edge 4a. Stern member 5 preferably has a wall thickness approximating the wall thickness of cup 4 and is half-round in cross section, providinga downwardly (FIG. 5) opening groove or trough .6 formed on a diameter equal to the outer diameter of the handle rod 3 to be joined to the cast cup ,2. The half-round wall of stem 5 terminates in downwardly facing edges 5a extending from the cup wall to a free end 5b of the stem 5.

The handle rod 3 typically may have a diameter of from /8 to 1" and may have any desired length for manipulating the ladle into and out of a furnace.

In assembling cup casting 2 and handle 3, an end portion 7 ,of handle 3 is laid in the trough or groove 6 of stem 5 with the end 8 .of the handle abutting the outer surface 9 of cup wall 4. The parts are held in this position and welded joints 10 are formed along the length of the underside of downwardly facing edges 5a of stem 5 at each side of handle, bar 3, around the end 8 of bar 3 and the outer surface 9 of cup wall 4 as indicated at 11, and at the free end 5b of stem 5 and the handle bar 3 as indicated at 12.

The particular manner in which the stem 5 and handle 3 are formed and assembledand the location of the welds 10, 11, and 12 comprise important aspects of the invention. End ,8 of rod 3 and the welded joint portion 11 between the rod end 8 and the outer surface 9 of cup 4 are protected and shielded from continued contact with the molten metal sample spooned into the ladle cup 4 as the ladle is Withdrawn from the molten bath in the furnace and as it is removed from the furnace. Thus, no buildup of test metal on the welded joint 11 can occur to weaken the joint 11 or .to contaminate later samples.

Furthermore, the overhanging side edges 5a of the semicircular wall of stem -5 and the rounded upper surface of stem 5 tend to drain molten metal off of the stem into the furnace bath and away from the welded joints 10 as the ladle is withdrawn from the molten bath. Thus, molten metal does not collect on or injure or damage the welds 10.

Since the outer free end 5b of stem 5 is located at the top of the handle (FIGS. 2 and 4) where the handle projects from the stem, the underside of the bar 3 is unobstructed throughout its length and beneath stem 5, and there is no shoulder on the bottom surface of the handle to catch or bump at'the wicket hole when withdrawing the test ladle from a furnace.

These arrangements thus provide strong and protected welded connections 10, 11, and 12 between the cast cup member 4 and handle rod 3 which have a long life and which are not damaged or abused by the heat and manipulation encountered in the use of the test ladle.

Accordingly, theimproved construction provides a test ladle for steelmaking which eliminates .difiiculties heretofore encountered in the art, achieves the stated objects,

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.

accomplishes the many new functions and results described, and solves problems which have existed in the art.

Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is by way of example, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exact structure shown, because the sizes and shapes of the various parts may be varied to provide other structural embodiments without departing from the fundamental principles of the invention.

Having now described the features, discoveries and principles of the invention, the construction, assembly and use of a preferred form thereof, and the advantageous, new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful discoveries, principles, apparatus, combinations, parts, elements, structures, cooperative relationships and arrangements, and mechanical equivalents obvious to those skilled in the art are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Steelmaking test ladle construction including a cast cup member having a cup wall provided with an upper edge and an outer surface, a half-round downwardly opening trough-like stem projecting integrally laterally of the cup member at the upper edge of the cup, the top of the trough-like stem being flush with the upper edge of the cup, the half-round stem having a free end and downwardly facing edges extending from the outer surface of the cup wall to the free end of the stem, a substantially round handle rod having an end and a portion extending from the end received in the trough-like stem with the handle end abutting an outer surface of the cup wall below the stem, the lower side of the handle rod being located below the edges of the stem, and a continuous welded joint formed between adjacent surfaces of the handle and the outer cup wall and the edges and free end of the stem.

2. The construction defined in claim 1 in which the stem and downwardly facing stem edges overhang that portion of the welded joint which is formed between adjacent surfaces of the handle and the outer cup wall and the downwardly facing edges of the stem.

3. The construction defined in claim 1 in which the underside of the handle rod is located in a straight continuous plane throughout its length and beneath the stem.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 692,697 2/1902 Nance 22.?86 1,228,665 6/1917 Grifiin 2286 1,301,172 4/1919 Kowell 2286 1,302,412 4/1919 Murray 287l89.36

FOREIGN PATENTS 333,3 84- 8/1930 Great Britain.

I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

R. D. BALDWIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. STEELMAKING TEST LADLE CONSTRUCTION INCLUDING A CAST CUP MEMBER HAVING A CUP WALL PROVIDED WITH AN UPPER EDGE AND AN OUTER SURFACE, A HALF-ROUND DOWNWARDLY OPENING TROUGH-LIKE STEM PROJECTING INTEGRALLY LATERALLY OF THE CUP MEMBER AT THE UPPER EDGE OF THE CUP, THE TOP OF THE TROUGH-LIKE STEM BEING FLUSH WITH THE UPPER EDGE OF THE CUP, THE HALF-ROUND STEM HAVING A FREE END AND DOWNWARDLY FACING EDGES EXTENDING FROM THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE CUP WALL TO THE FREE END OF THE STEM, A SUBSTANTIALLY ROUND HANDLE ROD HAVING AN END AND A PORTION EXTENDING FROM THE END RECEIVED IN THE TROUGH-LIKE STEM WITH THE HANDLE END ABUTTING AN OUTER SURFACE OF THE CUP WALL BELOW THE STEM, THE LOWER SIDE OF THE HANDLE ROD BEING LOCATED BELOW THE EDGES OF THE STEM, AND A CONTINUOUS WELDED JOINT FORMED BETWEEN ADJACENT SURFACES OF THE HANDLE AND THE OUTER CUP WALL AND THE EDGES AND FREE END OF THE STEM. 